Montgomery County Receives Grant to Update Ag and Farmland Protection Plan
February 9, 2015
FONDA – Montgomery County Executive Matt Ossenfort announced on Monday, the receipt of $35,000 in funding from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. The funding will be used to update the County’s Agricultural Protection Plan. Staff from the Montgomery County Business Development Center, working in conjunction with the Montgomery County Agricultural Protection Board, prepared this application last fall.
Ossenfort thanked Elma Phillips and the rest of the Agricultural Protection Board for their enterprise in guiding this effort.
“Our idea in undertaking this plan is to better understand and respond to the issues that affect the viability of the agricultural economy in Montgomery County,” he said. “To the extent that farming remains a viable enterprise, farm lands are protected.”
The overall goal is to protect and preserve the County’s Agriculture Industry and Farmland Base and to provide better assistance to farmers for increasing farm viability and financial stability.
“We need to take a hard look at both the challenges and the opportunities that Montgomery County’s agricultural community faces – and then do everything we possibly can to help local farmers surmount those challenges and access those opportunities,” Ossenfort said.
Accordingly, the plan update is intended to address strategic issues related to:
- Economic viability and emergent markets
- Requisite changes to local land-use laws as they apply to not only permitting agricultural businesses, but actually encouraging the economic sustainability of farming operations
- Supplying a new cohort of trained and sophisticated agricultural entrepreneurs to continue future farming operations.
“People are looking for more fresh produce for schools, opportunities to shop at Farmer’s Markets and farm-to-table selections,” said Corey Nellis, District Manager, Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation. “Those are things that were not as prevalent when the plan was originally developed and now they are becoming a priority.”
The plan will get underway this spring and take about a year to complete. The process will be a collective effort and will include all the constituencies in Montgomery County that have a vested interest in the agricultural economy, especially the farmers themselves.
About Montgomery County Business Development Center
The Montgomery County Business Development Center is a comprehensive resource for business and economic development and planning services throughout Montgomery County. Available services include business development and technical assistance; company and facility siting; workforce and labor development; and government coordination, including permit processes and incentives. In addition, the Center provides County Planning services and grant writing. The Montgomery County Business Development Center is comprised of the Montgomery County Industrial Development Agency, Montgomery County Capital Resource Corporation and the Montgomery County Department of Economic Development and Planning
For Further Information Contact us at 518.853.8334.
